Giant power factors in p- and n-type large-area graphene films on a flexible plastic substrate

This study reports on the thermoelectric properties of large-area graphene films grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. Using the electric double layer gating technique, both the continuous doping of hole or electron carriers and modulation of the Fermi energy are achieved, leading to wide-range control of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity. Consequently, the maximum power factors of the CVD-grown large-area graphene films are 6.93 and 3.29 mW m(-1) K-2 for p- and n-type carrier doping, respectively. These results are the best values among large-scale flexible materials, such as organic conducting polymers and carbon nanotubes, suggesting that CVD-grown large-area graphene films have potential for thermoelectric applications.